3d liquid crystal display system

ABSTRACT

A viewing system has a parallax separation device placed in front of a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid display panel can be used to display a composite image that has many display segments, with each segment having two or more elongated image sections of different images. Each image section may occupy one or more columns of color pixels. The parallax separation device has a plurality of parallax separation elements, each aligned with a display segment for separating the different image sections as seen in a viewer&#39;s eyes. The parallax separation device has a barrier axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated image sections. The color sub-pixels in each pixel are arranged along a direction parallel to the barrier axis. A tracking device and a processor are used to determine the locations of image sections under the parallax separation elements based on positions of a viewer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Continuation-In-Part application claims the benefit of pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/661,488, filed Mar. 17, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a 3D display system and, moreparticularly, to a 3D display system that uses a liquid crystal displaypanel as a display for providing images and/or information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the art that a liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel has aplurality of color pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array of rowsand columns. As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD panel 10 has a plurality ofpixel rows R1, R2, . . . , Rm and a plurality of pixel columns C1, C2, .. . , Cn. A pixel usually has three or more color sub-pixels, such as ared sub-pixel R, a green sub-pixel G and a blue sub-pixel B. In eachpixel, each sub-pixel occupies an elongated area and the colorsub-pixels are arranged along a horizontal axis.

If the LCD panel is used to provide images or information in a 3Ddisplay system for allowing a viewer to see two different views in twoeyes. For example, if the right view (RV) is provided on theodd-numbered columns and the light view (LV) are provided oneven-numbered columns as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible that the lefteye (LE) only sees a single color in the left-view image and the righteye (RE) only sees a single color in the right-view image. Thus, thefull-color image on the LCD panel cannot be seen.

It is advantageous to provide a 3D LCD system which allows a viewer tosee all color components in a color image simultaneously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a viewing system that has a parallaxseparation device placed in front of a liquid crystal display panel. Theliquid display panel can be used to display a composite image that hasmany display segments, with each segment having two or more elongatedimage sections of different images. Each image section may occupy one ormore columns of color pixels. The parallax separation device has aplurality of parallax separation elements, each aligned with a displaysegment for separating the different image sections in a viewer's eyes.The parallax separation device has a barrier axis parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the elongated image sections. The color sub-pixelsin each pixel are arranged along a direction parallel to the barrieraxis.

Thus, the first aspect of the present invention is a viewing systemcomprising a liquid crystal display panel having a liquid crystaldisplay panel comprising a plurality of color pixels arranged in atwo-dimensional array of rows and columns, the rows arranged along afirst direction and the columns arranged along a second directiondifferent from the first direction, each pixel comprising a plurality ofcolor sub-pixels; wherein each pixel has a pixel area and each colorsub-pixel has a sub-pixel area and wherein the sub-pixel areas in apixel are arranged in the pixel area along the second direction; aparallax separation device disposed in relationship to the liquidcrystal display panel, the parallax separation device comprising aplurality of parallax separation elements, each parallax separationelement having a longitudinal axis defining a parallax barrier axis ofthe parallax separation device, wherein the parallax barrier axis issubstantially parallel to the second direction; and a tracking deviceconfigured to determine a position of a viewer viewing the liquidcrystal display panel through the parallax separation device.

The parallax separation device can be a lenticular screen having aplurality of lenticules as parallax separation elements, or a parallaxbarrier device having alternate obscure and clear strips to form theparallax separation elements. The parallax barrier device can be made ofa different liquid crystal display panel so that the pitch of theparallax separation elements can be adjusted and that the width of theobscure strips can also be adjusted. Also, the obscure sections can alsobe made clear so that the viewing system can be used to display aregular 2D image. Also, the barrier axis of the parallax barrier devicecan be changed from one direction to another.

The second aspect of the present invention is a method for use in aviewing system, the viewing system comprising liquid crystal displaypanel comprising a plurality of color pixels arranged in atwo-dimensional array of rows and columns, the rows arranged along afirst direction and the columns arranged along a second directiondifferent from the first direction, each pixel comprising a plurality ofcolor sub-pixels; wherein each pixel has a pixel area and each colorsub-pixel has a sub-pixel area. The method comprises: arranging thesub-pixel areas in the pixel area along the second direction; providinga parallax separation device in relationship to the liquid crystaldisplay panel, the parallax separation device comprising a plurality ofparallax separator elements, each parallax separator element having alongitudinal axis defining a parallax barrier axis of the parallaxseparation device, wherein the parallax barrier axis is substantiallyparallel to the second direction; and determining a position of a viewerviewing the liquid crystal display panel through the parallax separationdevice so as to arrange a displayed image in the liquid crystal displaypane

The present invention will become apparent upon reading the descriptiontaken in conjunction with FIGS. 2 to 11 b.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a typical LCD panel.

FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of the LCD panel for use in a 3D displaysystem, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an arrangement of a lenticularscreen in relation to an LCD panel, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a 3D LCD system with alenticular screen.

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a 3D LCD system with a parallaxbarrier panel.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a parallax barrier panel.

FIG. 7 shows a 3D LCD system wherein the obscure sections in a parallaxbarrier panel have been cleared.

FIG. 8 a shows a 3D LCD system with a lenticular screen wherein each ofthe left-view and the right view under a lenticule occupies two columnsof the LCD panel.

FIG. 8 b shows a 3D LCD system with a lenticular screen wherein fourdifferent views under a lenticule occupy four columns of the LCD panel.

FIG. 9 a shows a 3D LCD system with a parallax barrier panel whereineach of the left-view and the right view under a barrier pitch occupiestwo columns of the LCD panel.

FIG. 9 b shows a 3D LCD system with a parallax barrier panel whereinfour different views under a barrier pitch occupy four columns of theLCD panel.

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b show a 3D LCD system with a parallax barrier panelwherein the pitch of the obscure sections can be adjusted.

FIGS. 11 a and 11 b show a parallax barrier panel with adjustable pitchand adjustable barrier width.

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b show a parallax barrier panel configured to changethe axis of the barriers.

FIG. 13 a shows a 3D LCD system with a lenticular screen in relation toa viewer where the left view and the right view under each lenticuleare, respectively, located on the right-half and the left-half of thelenticule.

FIG. 13 b shows a 3D LCD system with a lenticular screen in relation toa viewer where the left view and the right view under each lenticuleare, respectively, located on the left-half and the right-half of thelenticule.

FIG. 14 a shows a 3D LCD system with a parallax barrier panel inrelation to a viewer where the left view and the right view under eachclear barrier strip are, respectively, located on the right-half and theleft-half of the clear barrier strip.

FIG. 14 b shows a 3D LCD system with a parallax barrier panel inrelation to a viewer where the left view and the right view under eachclear barrier strip are, respectively, located on the left-half and theright-half of the clear barrier strip.

FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of a display having a trackingdevice for monitoring the location of the viewer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

When a 3D display system is arranged to allow a viewer to see the 3Dimage in an upright position, each of the viewer's eyes will see aplurality of left-view image sections and a plurality of right-viewimage sections. If the 3D image is provided on an LCD panel, each imagesection comprises one or more pixel columns. As shown in FIG. 2, the LCDpanel 10 has a plurality of pixel rows R1, R2, R3, . . . and a pluralityof columns C1, C2, . . . Each pixel 20 has three or more colorsub-pixels 22, 24 and 26. For example, the color sub-pixels are redsub-pixel R, green sub-pixel G and blue sub-pixel B. Each colorsub-pixel occupies an elongated area in the pixel. Each of the left-viewimage sections (LV) is provided in the image on an odd-numbered columnand each of the right-view image sections (RV) is provided in the imageon an even-numbered column. Under some circumstances, it is possiblethat the left eye (LE) sees only a vertical strip of each odd-numberedcolumn and the right eye (RE) sees only a vertical strip of eacheven-numbered column.

As shown in FIG. 2, the LCD panel 10 is oriented such that the colorsub-pixels 22, 24 and 26 (or R, G, B) in each pixel 20 are arrangedalong a vertical axis. As such, even when each eye can see only avertical strip in a column, each eye sees all three colors in each pixelin the column.

To realize a 3D LCD system, a parallax separation device is placed infront of the LCD panel. The parallax separation device is used toseparate the images representing views taken at different angles anddisplayed on the LCD panel. In the 3D LCD system 1 as shown in FIG. 3, alenticular screen 30 in placed in relationship to a LCD panel 10. Thelenticular screen 30 comprises a plurality of lenticules 32 to alloweach of the viewer's eyes to see a different view displayed on the LCDpanel 10 so that the left eye and the right eye of a viewer will be ableto see different views (see FIG. 2). The lenticules 32 are sections ofcylindrical lenses, each of which has a longitudinal axis defining aparallax barrier axis 140. The parallax barrier axis 140 issubstantially parallel to the pixel columns of the LCD panel 10. Each ofthe pixels 20 has three or more color sub-pixels 22, 24 and 26 todisplay three different colors cs1, cs2 and cs3. These three colors canbe red, green and blue, for example. However, each pixel 20 can havemore than three color sub-pixels.

As shown in FIG. 3, the parallax barrier axis 140 is parallel to the Yaxis. Thus, the pixel columns are also substantially parallel to the Yaxis. In pixel 20, each of color sub-pixels 22, 24 and 26 occupies anelongated area, and the three elongated areas are arranged in adirection substantially parallel to the Y axis.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a 3D LCD system to show how alenticular screen 30 can be used to separate a left view (L) from aright view (R). As shown, each lenticule 32 has a curved surfacedesigned to focus a substantially parallel light beam on the displaysurface. Thus, through a lenticule, a section of the left-view image onthe LCD panel 10 can only reach a viewer's left eye (LE) and a sectionof the right-view image can only reach the right eye (RE). The spatialseparation between two adjacent lenticules is denoted as a pitch P. InFIG. 4, the pitch P is substantially equal to the width of two columnsof the LCD panel 10. In general, the pitch P can be equal to three ormore columns (see FIGS. 8 a and 8 b).

Instead of a lenticular screen, a parallax barrier panel can be used toseparate a left view (L) from a right view (R). As shown in FIGS. 5 and6, a parallax barrier panel 50 comprises a one-dimensional array ofalternate clear and obscure strips. The obscure strips are designed toblock a light beam from transmitting through the parallax barrier panel50. As shown in FIG. 5, a section of the left view (L) can only reach aviewer's left eye (LE) through a clear section or strip 52. Likewise, asection of the right view (R) can only reach a viewer's right eye (RE)through the clear section 52. The obscure strips or sections arearranged to block the right view from the left eye and the left view forthe right eye.

In a way, each lenticule on a lenticular screen functions as a parallaxseparation element. Likewise, each clear and obscure strip pair on aparallax barrier panel functions as a parallax separation element.

As with the case with a lenticular screen, the spatial separationbetween two adjacent clear sections or strips on a parallax barrierpanel is denoted as a pitch P. In FIG. 5, the pitch P is substantiallyequal to the width of two columns. In general, the pitch P can be equalto three or more columns (see FIGS. 9 a and 9 b). Since the LCD displaypanel 10 and the parallax separation device (30, 50) are two dimensionalpanels, the two light beams transmitted through each lenticule 32 orthrough each clear section 52 form two light sheets with a light sheetthickness.

A parallax barrier panel 50 can be made by cutting out a series ofstrips on a piece of metal plate, a piece of opaque cardboard, or asheet of opaque plastic, for example. A parallax barrier panel can alsobe made by printing a series of strips of dark ink on a clear substrate,for example. A parallax barrier panel can also be made from a lightvalve which can be electrically controlled to produce an array ofalternate clear and obscure strips. For example, a parallax barrierpanel can be made from a separate liquid crystal display panel. Anoptical parallax barrier panel such as a light-valve or liquid-crystaltype parallax barrier panel can be turned on or off. Thus, the opticalparallax barrier panel is operable in a first state and in a secondstate. When the optical parallax panel is operated in the first state,the entire panel is clear. When the optical parallax panel is operatedin the second state, it comprises a series of obscure strips 54 as shownin FIG. 6. Thus, when the optical parallax panel is operated in thefirst state, the obscure strips become clear strips 54′, as shown inFIG. 7. Since light can transmit through the clear strips 52 and theclear strips 54′, an image section on the LCD panel 10 can be viewed byboth the left eye (LE) and the right eye (RE) simultaneously.

With a parallax barrier panel operable in a first state and in a secondstate as described above, the 3D LCD system 1 as shown in FIG. 5 can beturned into a 2D LCD system 1′ as shown in FIG. 7. With a 2D display,there is no needed to provide a composite image with alternate sectionsof the left view (L) and the right view (R) as shown in FIG. 5. Instead,a regular image can be displayed on the LCD panel 10 as shown in FIG. 7.

It should be understood that, in a 3D LCD system comprising a LCDdisplay panel and a parallax separation device such as a lenticularscreen 30 or a parallax barrier panel 50, the pitch P can besubstantially equal to or slightly smaller than the width of two columnsas shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. However, the pitch P can be substantiallyequal to the width of three, four or more columns. As shown in FIGS. 8 aand 9 a, the pitch P is substantially equal or slight smaller than thewidth of four columns. As such, a section of the left view image (LV)can be displayed on two columns and a section of the right view image(RV) can be displayed on the other two columns. It should be understoodthat, three, four or more views can be displayed on the LCD panel 10.For example, the pitch P is substantially equal or slightly smaller thanthe widths of four columns and a section of each of four different views(V1, V2, V3, V4) occupies a column as shown in FIGS. 8 b and 9 b. Thus,in general, two or more different view sections can be arranged under apitch P and each view section can occupy one, two or more columns of theLCD panel.

The right and left views R, L (or RV, LV) as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 8 aand 9 a represent a composite image displayed on the liquid crystaldisplay panel 10. The image views displayed under each parallaxseparation element is a segment of the composite image. Thus, ingeneral, each segment of the composite image has two or more displayedsections of different views. In FIGS. 4, 5, 8 a and 9 a, each segment ofthe composite image has two displayed sections of two different views.In FIGS. 8 b and 9 b, each segment of the composite image has fourdisplayed sections of four different views, V1-V4. In FIGS. 4, 5, 8 band 9 b, each of the different views is displayed on a pixel column ofthe liquid crystal panel 10. In FIGS. 8 a and 9 b, each of the differentviews is displayed on two pixel columns. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the width ofeach segment of the composite image is equal to two pixel columns. InFIGS. 8 a, 8 b, 9 a and 9 b, the segment width is equal to four pixelcolumns, but the segment width can also be equal to three, five, six ora different number of pixel columns. In general, each of the differentviews can be displayed on one, two, three or more pixel columns, andeach segment of the composite image may have two, three, four or moredisplayed segments of different views. The different views that composethe composite image can be images of a scene taken at different angles,or images of different scenes, unrelated scenes, different pictures,different graphic designs or various combinations thereof.

With an optical parallax barrier panel such as a light-valve type or aliquid crystal type panel 50 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is possibleto adjust the width of the obscure sections, without changing the pitchP, to change the thickness of the light sheet thickness (see FIG. 5).

Also, it is possible to change the pitch P to match the width of thecolumns of an LCD panel. As such, it is possible to use the sameparallax barrier panel on LCD panels of different resolutions, forexample. Furthermore, the pitch P can be adjusted depending on theviewing distance. When a viewer views the display image from a 3D LCDsystem at a distance, the light beams that reach a viewer's eye aresubstantially parallel as shown in FIG. 10 a. When the viewer movescloser in, the light beams become more converged as shown in FIG. 10 b.It is advantageous that the pitch P and/or the barrier width (bw) of theobscure sections can be adjusted.

In FIGS. 11 a and 11 b, both the pitch P and the barrier width bw can beadjustable dependent upon how the composite image of the LCD image iscomposed. In FIG. 11 a, two columns are used to display a section of theright view (RV) and the adjacent two columns are used to display asection of the left view (LV). In FIG. 11 b, each section of the rightview and each section of the left view occupy only one column.

It is also advantageous that the optical parallax barrier panel 50 canbe programmed so that the barrier axis can be changed from vertical tohorizontal as shown in FIGS. 12 a and 12 b, for example.

It should be noted that when a viewer is positioned in front of the 3DLCD system, the left view and the right view of the displayed image mustbe located at the correct sections under a lenticule or a barrier stripso that the left eye can see the left-view image and the right eye cansee the right-view image (see FIGS. 4 and 5). As shown in FIG. 13 a,when the viewer is positioned at position P1 or P2, for example, theright-view section (R) displayed on the LCD panel 10 is located on theleft half of each lenticule 32 of the lenticular screen 30 and theleft-view section (L) is located on the right half of each lenticule 32.As such, the left eye of the viewer can see the left-view image and theright eye of the viewer can see the right-view image. When the viewer ispositioned at position P3 or P4 as shown in FIG. 13 b, for example, theright-view section (R) and the left-view section (L) displayed on theLCD panel 10 must be shifted. As shown in FIG. 13 b, the right-viewsection (R) displayed on the LCD panel 10 is located on the right halfof each lenticule 32 of the lenticular screen 30 and the left-viewsection (L) is located on the left half of each lenticule 32 of thelenticular screen 30. As such, the left eye of the viewer can see theleft-view image and the right eye of the viewer can see the right-viewimage.

Likewise, when the viewer is positioned at position P1 or P2 as shown inFIG. 14 a, for example, the right-view section (R) displayed on the LCDpanel 10 is located on the left half of each clear strip 52 of theparallax barrier panel 50 and the left-view section (L) is located onthe right half of each clear strip 52. As such, the left eye of theviewer can see the left-view image and the right eye of the viewer cansee the right-view image. When the viewer is positioned at position P3or P4 as shown in FIG. 14 b, for example, the right-view section (R) andthe left-view section (L) displayed on the LCD panel 10 must be shifted.As shown in FIG. 14 b, the right-view section (R) displayed on the LCDpanel 10 is located on the right half of each clear strip 52 of theparallax barrier panel 50 and the left-view section (L) is located onthe left half of each clear strip 52. As such, the left eye of theviewer can see the left-view image and the right eye of the viewer cansee the right-view image.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a tracking deviceis used to monitor the position of a viewer in relationship to the 3DLCD system in order to determine the positions of the left-view imageand the right-view image under a lenticular screen 30 or a parallaxbarrier panel 50. As shown in FIG. 15, in a display 100 having a 3D LCDsystem 1, a tracking device 120 is used to track the location and themovement of a viewer and a processor 130 is used to determine thelocations of the left and right view sections. The tracking device 120can be an optical sensing device, such as one or two digital cameras anda sonic device, to measure the distance between the two eyes of a viewerand the distance of the viewer from the display. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, based on the input data from the tracking device120, the processor 130 is configured to determine the location of aviewer in terms of a viewer's angle θv in relation to the Z axis ascompared to the lenticular angle θp as shown in FIG. 13 a. If θv isbetween −θp/4 and θp/4, or between θp(3/4) and θp(5/4), then theright-view section (R) displayed on the LCD panel 10 is located on theleft half of each lenticule 32 of the lenticular screen 30 and theleft-view section (L) is located on the right half of each lenticule 32as shown in FIG. 13 a. If θv is between θp/4 and θp(3/4), or between −74p(3/4) to −θp/4, then the right-view section (R) displayed on the LCDpanel 10 is located on the right half of each lenticule 32 of thelenticular sheet 30 and the left-view section (L) is located on the lefthalf of each lenticule 32 as shown in FIG. 13 b. It should be understoodthat FIGS. 13 a and 13 b depict the shifting of left-view and right viewsections when each half of the lenticule 32 shows only one view-section(L or R) as shown in FIG. 4. In such a case, the arrangement of (L, R)in each lenticule 32 is shifted to become (R, L) when a viewer changeshis/her position along the X direction. When the viewer further changeshis/her position along the same direction, then the arrangement can beshifted again to (L, R) and so on. If each half of the lenticule 32shows two view-sections in two different columns (V1 and V2 for RV, V3and V4 for LV) as shown in FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, then the shifting iscarried out in a finer step. For example, due to the change of a viewerposition along the X direction, the arrangement of (V1, V2, V3, V4) ineach lenticule 32 can be shifted to become (V2, V3, V4, V1) and then(V3, V4, V1, V2) if the viewer further changes the position along thesame direction.

In summary, the present invention provides a viewing system and a methodfor making same. The viewing system comprises a liquid crystal displaypanel as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein the sub-pixel areas in apixel are arranged in the pixel area along the Y direction; and aparallax separation device, such as a lenticular screen as depicted inFIGS. 3 and 4, or a parallax barrier panel as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6.The parallax barrier panel can be made of a liquid crystal panel ordevice. The parallax separation device is disposed in relationship tothe liquid crystal display panel, the parallax separation devicecomprising a plurality of parallax separation elements, each parallaxseparation element having a longitudinal axis defining a parallaxbarrier axis of the parallax separation device, wherein the parallaxbarrier axis is substantially parallel to the Y direction.

The liquid crystal display panel is configured for displaying acomposite image comprising a plurality of composite image segmentssubstantially parallel to the parallax barrier axis, and each compositeimage segment comprises a plurality of displayed sections of differentimages, wherein each displayed section is displayed in one or morecolumns, wherein each of the composite image segments has a segmentwidth. In the parallax barrier panel, two adjacent parallax separationelements define a pitch, wherein the pitch is adjustable to match thesegment width and/or adjustable in accordance with a viewing distance.The parallax separation element in a parallax barrier panel is formed bythe obscure section and the adjacent clear section has an element widthand wherein the obscure section has a barrier section width, wherein thebarrier section width is adjustable while maintaining the same elementwidth.

According one embodiment of the present invention, the parallax barrierpanel made from a light valve or a liquid crystal display panel isoperable in a first state and a second state, wherein when the differentliquid crystal panel is operated in the first state, the parallaxbarrier axis is substantially parallel to the second direction, and whenthe different liquid crystal panel is operated in the second state, theparallax barrier axis substantially parallel to the first direction.

Thus, although the present invention has been described with respect toone or more embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions anddeviations in the form and detail thereof may be made without departingfrom the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A viewing system comprising: a liquid crystaldisplay panel comprising a plurality of color pixels arranged in atwo-dimensional array of rows and columns, the rows arranged along afirst direction and the columns arranged along a second directiondifferent from the first direction, each pixel comprising a plurality ofcolor sub-pixels; wherein each pixel has a pixel area and each colorsub-pixel has a sub-pixel area and wherein the sub-pixel areas in apixel are arranged in the pixel area along the second direction; aparallax separation device disposed in relationship to the liquidcrystal display panel, the parallax separation device comprising aplurality of parallax separation elements, each parallax separationelement having a longitudinal axis defining a parallax barrier axis ofthe parallax separation device, wherein the parallax barrier axis issubstantially parallel to the second direction; and a tracking deviceconfigured to determine a position of a viewer viewing the liquidcrystal display panel through the parallax separation device.
 2. Theviewing system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal displaypanel is configured for displaying a composite image comprising aplurality of composite image segments substantially parallel to theparallax barrier axis.
 3. The viewing system according to claim 2,wherein each composite image segment comprises a plurality of displayedsections of different images, wherein each displayed section isdisplayed in one or more columns.
 4. The viewing system according toclaim 2, wherein each of the composite image segments has a segmentwidth, and two adjacent parallax separation elements define a pitch,wherein the pitch is adjustable to match the segment width.
 5. Theviewing system according to claim 4, wherein the pitch is alsoadjustable in accordance with a viewing distance.
 6. The viewing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the parallax separation device comprises alenticular screen having a plurality of lenticules, each lenticuleforming a parallax separation element.
 7. The viewing system accordingto claim 1, wherein the parallax separation device comprises a parallaxbarrier panel, the parallax barrier panel comprising a plurality ofobscure sections and clear sections alternately arranged such that anobscure section and an adjacent clear section form a parallax separationelement.
 8. The viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the firstdirection is a horizontal direction and the second direction is avertical direction.
 9. The viewing system according to claim 7, whereinthe parallax barrier panel comprises a different liquid crystal panelfor forming the obscure and clear sections.
 10. The viewing systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the parallax separation element formed bythe obscure section and the adjacent clear section has an element widthand wherein the obscure section has a barrier section width, wherein thebarrier section width is adjustable while maintaining the same elementwidth.
 11. The viewing system according to claim 9, wherein thedifferent liquid crystal panel operable in a first state and a secondstate, wherein when the different liquid crystal panel is operated inthe first state, the parallax barrier axis is substantially parallel tothe second direction, and when the different liquid crystal panel isoperated in the second state, the parallax barrier axis substantiallyparallel to the first direction.
 12. The viewing system according toclaim 3, wherein the different images comprises images of a scene takenat different angles.
 13. The viewing system according to claim 3,wherein different images comprise images of different scenes.
 14. Amethod for use in a viewing system, the viewing system comprising aliquid crystal display panel comprising a plurality of color pixelsarranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns, the rowsarranged along a first direction and the columns arranged along a seconddirection different from the first direction, each pixel comprising aplurality of color sub-pixels; wherein each pixel has a pixel area andeach color sub-pixel has a sub-pixel area, said method comprising:arranging the sub-pixel areas in the pixel area along the seconddirection; providing a parallax separation device in relationship to theliquid crystal display panel, the parallax separation device comprisinga plurality of parallax separator elements, each parallax separatorelement having a longitudinal axis defining a parallax barrier axis ofthe parallax separation device, wherein the parallax barrier axis issubstantially parallel to the second direction; and determining aposition of a viewer viewing the liquid crystal display panel throughthe parallax separation device so as to arrange a displayed image in theliquid crystal display panel in relationship to the parallax separatorelements at least partly based on the position of the viewer.
 15. Themethod according to claim 14, wherein the liquid crystal display panelis configured for displaying a composite image comprising a plurality ofcomposite image segments substantially parallel to the parallax barrieraxis.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein each composite imagesegment comprises a plurality of display sections of different images,wherein each display section is displayed in one or more columns. 17.The method according to claim 15, wherein each of the composite imagesegments has a segment width, and two adjacent parallax separatorelements define a pitch, wherein the pitch is adjustable to match thesegment width.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the pitchis also adjustable in accordance with a viewing distance.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein the parallax separator device comprises alenticular screen having a plurality of lenticules, each lenticuleforming a parallax separator element.
 20. The method according to claim14, wherein the parallax separator device comprises a parallax barrierpanel, the parallax barrier panel comprising a plurality of obscuresections and clear sections alternately arranged such that an obscuresection and an adjacent clear section form a parallax separator element.